PEI contracts with community-based programs and agencies to provide a variety of services that help prevent abuse, neglect, delinquency, and truancy of Texas children. Not all services are available in all Texas communities. Services are free of charge and participation is voluntary. PEI does not provide housing, transportation, or any services outside of the scope contracted by local providers. You can search to find out which programs are available in your county.

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention - Fatherhood

This program is a federally funded Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Program providing free, voluntary parenting education and support to fathers and father figures residing in Cameron, Denton, El Paso, Fort Bend, and Tarrant counties. The eligible client population is limited to families that include a caregiver who is a father or a male father figure that plays a significant role in a child's life. Eligibility includes families that are either expecting a child or have at least one child age 0-17 benefiting from child abuse/neglect prevention services. While a target child must be identified, it is understood the entire family unit will benefit from the prevention services provided.

The Home Visiting, Education, and Leadership (HEAL) program provides evidence-based, parent education programs and home visiting services. The HEAL Program is federally-funded and is a part of the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program. HEAL programs provide services in the following counties: Concho, Runnels, Tom Green, Harris, and Tarrant.

Community-Based Family Services (CBFS)

This voluntary program serves families investigated by CPS who were designated low priority, were considered low-risk cases, or who did not have confirmed allegations of abuse or neglect. Services provided include home visitation, case management, parent education and additional services proven to increase the likelihood of a safe and stable home environment.

Community Youth Development (CYD)

The CYD program contracts with community-based organizations to develop juvenile-delinquency prevention programs in ZIP codes with high juvenile crime rates for youth ages six to 17 (with a focus on youth ages 10 through 17). Communities use mentoring, youth-employment programs, career preparation, and alternative recreational activities to prevent delinquency. CYD services are available in 15 targeted Texas ZIP codes. In addition, each contractor must create or participate in an existing community-based collaborative committee or group to help integrate CYD into the community. Youth Leadership Development must also be provided through each contractor.

Healthy Outcomes through Prevention and Early Support (HOPES)

Project HOPES is a community-based program started in FY14 providing child abuse and neglect prevention services that target families with children between zero to five years of age. Contracts were created with community organizations in targeted counties that provide a home-visiting program, community coalition, as well as services that promote child welfare, early childhood education, and other family services. The Project HOPES program is intended to address child abuse and neglect prevention by focusing on community collaboration in high risk counties and by increasing protective factors of families served, thereby reducing the likelihood of abuse.

Click here to see how DFPS determines which counties are eligible for Project HOPES.

Helping through Intervention and Prevention (HIP)

The HIP program (Helping through Intervention and Prevention) provides free, voluntary services to eligible families that build a positive, nurturing home environment and prevent child abuse. The program provides in-home parenting education and basic needs support through community-based organizations using an evidence-based or promising practice program. Eligible families include:

parents who previously had their parental rights terminated due to child abuse and neglect within the past two years, and who currently have a new child, newborn to two years of age;

parents who have had a child die due to child abuse or neglect within the past two years, and who currently have a new child, birth to two years old;

current and former foster youth who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are parenting a child up to two years old, including single teen fathers.

Military Families and Veterans Pilot Prevention (MFVPP) Program

The purpose of the Military Families and Veterans Pilot Prevention (MFVPP) Program is:

to improve the wellbeing of Texas military and veteran families by promoting positive parental involvement in their children's lives;

to educate, facilitate and otherwise support the parent's abilities to provide continued emotional, physical and financial support for their children;

to build a community coalition of local stakeholders who are focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect;

to prevent child abuse and neglect occurrences in military communities.

Participants enter prevention services voluntarily; are not charged a fee for participating; and are retired or have been discharged from military service.

The eligible client population is limited to military and veteran families who include:

a person registered as the "primary caregiver" who is an active duty or former military member, National Guard member, Ready Reserve member, veteran, military retiree or their dependents, and

a child who is zero to 17 years of age or is expecting a child who will be identified as the "target child" for services.

It is the expectation of the program that the entire family unit will benefit from the prevention services provided.

Services to At-Risk Youth (STAR)

The Services to At-Risk Youth (STAR) program's primary purpose is to serve youth and their families needing crisis intervention, help with family conflict, concerns involving school performance and attendance and building parent and youth skills. The STAR program contracts with 28 local agencies around the state. These agencies offer crisis counseling, individual and family counseling, emergency short-term respite care, as well as youth and parent skills classes to youth and families in their communities. Youth age zero to 17 and through age 18, if they are still in school, are eligible for the program. STAR services are available in all 254 Texas counties. Each STAR contractor also provides universal child abuse prevention services, ranging from local media campaigns to informational brochures and educational presentations. The program's highest priority is to support youth remaining in their homes.

Statewide Youth Services Network (SYSN)

Statewide Youth Services Network provides community and evidence-based juvenile delinquency prevention programs available to youth ages six to 17 in each DFPS region.

Texas Families: Together and Safe (TFTS)

TFTS funds evidence-based parent education programs. These programs have been shown to relieve stress, promote positive parenting skills and behaviors, help families become self-sufficient, and help parents successfully nurture their children.

Texas Home Visiting (THV)

The primary goals of Texas Home Visiting (THV) are to enhance maternal and child outcomes and to increase school readiness for children. To accomplish these goals, THV includes two primary components: (a) provision of evidence-based home visiting services for at-risk pregnant women and parents/caregivers of children birth to age five; and, (b) development/enhancement of early childhood coalitions that effectively coordinate services and address broad, community-level issues that impact young children and families. Communities identify and execute the combination of services that best meets their needs, depending on community needs assessment data.

For the direct service delivery component, THV currently utilizes a combination of three evidence-based home visiting programs including Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), Parents as Teachers (PAT) and Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), each with varying overarching purposes: [learn more]

NFP: Services to first-time, low-income mothers to improve pregnancy outcomes, improve child health and development, improve family economic self-sufficiency and stability, and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect

PAT: Service to families prenatally through age five to enhance parent child attachment, school readiness, knowledge of parenting, improve family economic self-sufficiency and stability, and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect

HIPPY: Service for families with children ages three to five to enhance school readiness including cognitive and social emotional development of children.

Special Initiatives

Special Initiatives include child abuse and neglect prevention campaigns, an annual child abuse prevention calendar, and the annual Partners in Prevention Training Conference.